Aeshna affinis - Southern Migrant Hawker
Male - River Adur, W. Sussexy, July 2006. The second British record.
Male
Male
Female ovipositing
Description
Length: 60mm
This small Hawker has only been recorded as a vagrant in the UK.
It is superficially similar to the Migrant Hawker but the mark on S2 is blue and the sides of the thorax are blue-green with fine dark lines.
The blue markings on the abdomen are a little more prominent than in Migrant Hawker.
Habitat
Breeds in standing water in its normal, Mediterranean habitat.
Status and Distribution
This rare vagrant has been recorded only five times in the UK, most recently (4 times) in 2006.
Similar species
Similar to Migrant Hawker but seems more blue in appearance.